USCIS Discontinued New Case Status Online Accounts Creation

The USCIS has confirmed that as of December 4, 2020, new attorney accounts can no longer be created. However, accounts created prior to this date continue to have access to their CSOL account. Users who create accounts after December 4, 2020, are directed to the myaccount site.

Access to this account is important because it provides email and text alerts, details on service requests that have been placed, the officer assigned to the request, and whether a determination has been made. The current active system instead directs attorneys to the myaccount site, which only tracks cases filed online.

The practical impact of this change on attorneys is that they cannot receive email or text alerts on RFEs, approvals, denials, or any other action taken on a paper-filed cases (which the vast majority of cases continue to be filed as). Rather, they must manually enter receipt numbers for all cases to get updates, which is impracticable. Having the backup of email or text alerts is crucial in case the notice about the case is not received by mail.

While attorneys with existing accounts are still able to receive these alerts, should the attorney’s password expire, they may receive an “Access to Selected Resource Not Authorized,” and may also be redirected to the new account link.

On February 1, 2023, USCIS provided the following response:

Thank you for your continued patience and understanding while we researched your inquiry.

As of Dec. 4, 2020, new Case Status Online (CSOL) accounts can no longer be created. Account holders prior to that date continue to have access to their CSOL account. After Dec. 4, 2020, users who want to create an account to check on status are being provided a link to the myaccount site. Users who create an applicant account are able to add a paper-filed case to their account, which allows them to track case status and receive notifications when there is a change in their case status. For receipt numbers that start with IOE, they will need the Online Access Code that was provided by mail to link their case, and then they can access additional account features such as the ability to view notices and respond to RFEs. All users may continue to use Case Status Online without logging into an account by entering the receipt numbers and viewing the status of cases.

We understand your concerns relate specifically to the functionality of linking paper-filed cases (that are not IOE receipt numbers) to a representative account in order to receive text or email alerts that would assist in monitoring cases for your clients. Your suggestion to add this functionality has been elevated to the appropriate department for review; however, we are unable to determine when this option will be available for a representative account.